It may not be Valentine’s Day anymore, but that shouldn’t stop you from treating your partner and/or friends every now and then. This red velvet cake uses a simple recipe for a fluffy, chocolatey sponge and a delicious cream cheese icing, and using 6” tins makes it the perfect size to share between two.
Ingredients
For the cake:
85g unsalted butter
200g caster sugar
2 medium eggs
20g cocoa powder
1 tsp red food colouring
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
170ml buttermilk
200g plain flour
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 1/2 tsp white wine vinegar
For the cream cheese icing:
100g unsalted butter (room temperature)
100g icing sugar
200g cream cheese
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Method:
- Grease and line two 6” cake tins.
- Preheat the oven to 170°c.
- In a large bowl, beat together the butter and sugar using an electric whisk or wooden spoon until pale and fluffy.
- Add the eggs, buttermilk, red food colouring and vanilla, and beat again.
- In another bowl, mix together the flour, salt and cocoa powder.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing with a wooden spoon until smooth.
- Beat in the vinegar and bicarbonate of soda for a good few minutes until fully combined.
- Divide the cake mixture between the two tins and bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 30-35 minutes, checking that a skewer or knife comes out clean.
- Place the cakes onto a wire rack and allow to cool completely (the most important step!) – remove them from the tins and take off the parchment paper when the tins are cool enough.
- Now that the cakes have cooled completely, in a large bowl, beat together the cream cheese and room temperature butter with an electric whisk or wooden spoon.
- Gradually sift in the icing sugar and add the vanilla extract, and beat again.
- Place one of the cakes onto a serving plate and spread with a heaped spoonful of the cream cheese icing.
- Place the other cake layer on top and spread on the remaining icing, using a spatula or palette knife to cover the sides.
- Slice and enjoy!
